Rofesleg
Well-known member
Michael Carrick / Lee Cattermole
Nearly Managed Middlesbrough..
- Thread starter newyddion
- Start date
NoloBoro
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Interviewed after he left Grimsby.
Lemmy_kilmister
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Remember Terry Yoraths name being bandied about before Bryan Robson got the job.
American_Mary
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Bill Shankly and Middlesbrough:
In 1952 when David Jack resigned as Manager of Middlesbrough to look after his ill wife, Bill Shankly, was on the back of an excellent first season as manager of Grimsby, transforming their system of play, the training regime and the whole ethos within the club, 'pound for pound the best footballing team produced since the war' he was very much viewed as the next big thing and Middlesbrough duly approached, Shankly booked into a hotel in Ripon and met Harry French, the then Boro Chairman, excited at the opportunity of taking charge of a club who had finished 6th in the 1st Division only 2 seasons earlier, at the time the North East was seen very much as a hotbed of football and the move suited the fiercely ambitious Shankly.
After been shown around Ayresome Park, Shankly and French shook hands on a deal and Shankly went straight back to Cleethorpes, not even stopping overnight in Ripon, and told his wife, Ness, to get ready to move as they were off to Middlesbrough and waited for the phone call and contract offer that had been promised to make everything official.
At the time Grimsby's chairman, Arthur Drewery, was Head of the FA selection Committee and President of the Football League, and the Boro Chairman had designs on a position on that Committee, when he phoned Drewery to make official the approach for Shankly, he was told that would be fine but that it might hinder any chance he would have of furthering his ambitions within the FA, French, didn't take the approach any further and we appointed Walter Rowley.
"Missing that job was a terrible disappointment, because I was bubbling with ideas and Middlesbrough had a fantastic ground and a lot of good players, before the war they had one one of the best footballing teams in Britain. Ayresome Park represented potential, just as Liverpool did" Bill Shankly from his autobiography.
As a post script in 1974 when Shankly left Liverpool he implored the Liverpool board to appoint Jack Charlton as his replacement and was surprised and disappointed when they decided not to approach Charlton and promote Paisley from within, for the sake of harmony, for once Shankly bit his tongue and went along with the official line that Paisley was always jis choice of successor but in private he remained a very keen advocate of Charlton.
Others I know of were, Brian Little when we appointed Robson, Little was the choice of Colin Henderson but Gibson wanted Robson and that appointment was at the heart of the battle that saw Henderson step down as chairman.
Martin O'Neil when we appointed Southgate, but his wife was undergoing treatment for cancer and he was unable to commit, Felix Magath was 'the German' who was linked with us at the time before Gibson decided against Middlesbrough am Rhein.
Tony Pulis was lined up to replace Karanka in our relegation season, but despite having a massive fall out with the WBA board they didn't sack him and we ended up with Agnew.
I know we tried to appoint Venables permanently before McClaren got the job.
As a total aside the current article I'm working on is how Lester Piggott changed the face of pop music.
In 1952 when David Jack resigned as Manager of Middlesbrough to look after his ill wife, Bill Shankly, was on the back of an excellent first season as manager of Grimsby, transforming their system of play, the training regime and the whole ethos within the club, 'pound for pound the best footballing team produced since the war' he was very much viewed as the next big thing and Middlesbrough duly approached, Shankly booked into a hotel in Ripon and met Harry French, the then Boro Chairman, excited at the opportunity of taking charge of a club who had finished 6th in the 1st Division only 2 seasons earlier, at the time the North East was seen very much as a hotbed of football and the move suited the fiercely ambitious Shankly.
After been shown around Ayresome Park, Shankly and French shook hands on a deal and Shankly went straight back to Cleethorpes, not even stopping overnight in Ripon, and told his wife, Ness, to get ready to move as they were off to Middlesbrough and waited for the phone call and contract offer that had been promised to make everything official.
At the time Grimsby's chairman, Arthur Drewery, was Head of the FA selection Committee and President of the Football League, and the Boro Chairman had designs on a position on that Committee, when he phoned Drewery to make official the approach for Shankly, he was told that would be fine but that it might hinder any chance he would have of furthering his ambitions within the FA, French, didn't take the approach any further and we appointed Walter Rowley.
"Missing that job was a terrible disappointment, because I was bubbling with ideas and Middlesbrough had a fantastic ground and a lot of good players, before the war they had one one of the best footballing teams in Britain. Ayresome Park represented potential, just as Liverpool did" Bill Shankly from his autobiography.
As a post script in 1974 when Shankly left Liverpool he implored the Liverpool board to appoint Jack Charlton as his replacement and was surprised and disappointed when they decided not to approach Charlton and promote Paisley from within, for the sake of harmony, for once Shankly bit his tongue and went along with the official line that Paisley was always jis choice of successor but in private he remained a very keen advocate of Charlton.
Others I know of were, Brian Little when we appointed Robson, Little was the choice of Colin Henderson but Gibson wanted Robson and that appointment was at the heart of the battle that saw Henderson step down as chairman.
Martin O'Neil when we appointed Southgate, but his wife was undergoing treatment for cancer and he was unable to commit, Felix Magath was 'the German' who was linked with us at the time before Gibson decided against Middlesbrough am Rhein.
Tony Pulis was lined up to replace Karanka in our relegation season, but despite having a massive fall out with the WBA board they didn't sack him and we ended up with Agnew.
I know we tried to appoint Venables permanently before McClaren got the job.
As a total aside the current article I'm working on is how Lester Piggott changed the face of pop music.
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Glover_elbow
Well-known member
Fantastic post mad that shankley wanted big jack, as good as jack was liverpool made the correct choice with paisley
Nero
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On the Venables link. I can definitely remember him turning Boro down as he was doing loads of TV work at the time.
He went to Leeds about 6 months later!
xxlshirts_fit_all
Well-known member
I always thought that after Lennie, Robson was the only one Steve Gibson wanted and pulled out all the stops…
I guess there will have been contingency plans but I don’t think we could say we missed out on anyone as his choice and appointment turned this club around…
I seem to remember Lennie had a good deal to do with acquiring him too…
I guess there will have been contingency plans but I don’t think we could say we missed out on anyone as his choice and appointment turned this club around…
I seem to remember Lennie had a good deal to do with acquiring him too…
https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/ryan-giggs-gary-neville-could-13049880 - this would have been a disaster.
Rofesleg
Well-known member
Thanks for this AM. This is the article I've been trying to find.
Michael Reiziger
Before we appointed Woodgate we had loads of managers in the frame.... We interviewed Michael Reiziger and Slavisa Jokanovic. Maybe Danny Cowley (and his brother?) too?
Before we appointed Woodgate we had loads of managers in the frame.... We interviewed Michael Reiziger and Slavisa Jokanovic. Maybe Danny Cowley (and his brother?) too?
newyddion
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The Cowley brothers were probably the only realistic alternatives around that time. They got the chip before Woodgate if I remember correctly.. as did Philip Cocu at Derby.
EuropaParmo
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Can only imagine we were on the phone to Warnock while Woody was about to be sacked. Suspect it was him only.
Similarly for Wilder. We'd have probably stuck with Warnock for the remainder of the season had the possibility of Wilder not come up.
Similarly for Wilder. We'd have probably stuck with Warnock for the remainder of the season had the possibility of Wilder not come up.
Sheriff_John_Bunnell_ret
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The papers were saying Strachan at this time also
newyddion
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Guss Hiddink! He was in line to replace Aitor Karanka after relegation. Jolted my memory for another couple of managers too.Martin O’Neil
Felix “Penfold” Magath
Guus Hiddink…..
Bobby Robson - linked in 94, as was Souness
Bryan Robson/Graham Souness
Steve McClaren/Terry Venebles
Gareth Southgate/Felix Magath
Gordon Strachan/Martin O’Neil
Tony Mowbray/Alan Pardew
Aitor Karanka/Nigel Pearson
Steve Agnew/David Wagner
Garry Monk/Guss Hiddink
Tony Pulis/Harry Redknapp
Jonathan Woodgate/Danny Cowley
Neil Warnock/Chris Hughton
Chris Wilder/
Michael Carrick/Rob Edwards
Clearly got some sort of suppressed memory regarding the untimely departure of one of our most loved and dedicated managers.. just a blur after Neil left for me. Right up to the appointment of Super Michael Carrick.
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Bob Dennison got the job instead of Bill. It was in 1954.
Bob Dennison would be manager for 9 years until he was moved a side for the disastrous Raich Carter.
I once published an account from a former Boro apprentice, writing as the Spyder, who recounts an amazing sight of Bob Dennison walking out and urinating on Ayresome Park pitch during a weekday training day. Spyder soon found out that this was an angered Dennison's reaction to having been sacked.
Apologies - I bow to superior knowledge - Walter Rowley - a great name but a very short stay due to ill health. I guess if he hadn't been forced to step away he might have been pretty successful at Boro - who can say. But I wonder if it was the final two years of Wilf Mannion that kept us in the top flight under Rowley.
newyddion
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Otto42
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Great post, have heard the Shankly story a few times on here, a real sliding doors moment, but then there are so many. I remember Cloughie being strongly linked in 1977 when we appointed John Neal, not sure if there was any truth in it as I was only 8 and getting my information from the back of my Dad's Northern Echo
. Fascinated by the Lester Piggot teaser btw!jonny_greenings_sock
Well-known member
Wait, I thought the “Middlesbrough on the Rhine” manager wasn’t Magath, who would have been a bullet and a half dodged, but Ottmar Hitzfeld. That’s always been the strong rumour anyway.
He won absolutely everything, including Champions Leagues with both Bayern and Dortmund, and turned down the Germany job. German Ancelotti, if not the German Fergie.
That moment in time, whoever it was though, will always be our ‘nearly managed Boro’. With that squad, having just come out of a European final, the profile of the club having never been higher, the academy players and a young manager getting his step to the England job, we have never - and probably will never be - in a position to attract a better manager, and I’m sure we got some incredible offers.
Little did we know at the time that the money had run out, but clubs have been in that position and pushed on to the real elite before. Real sliding doors moment.
He won absolutely everything, including Champions Leagues with both Bayern and Dortmund, and turned down the Germany job. German Ancelotti, if not the German Fergie.
That moment in time, whoever it was though, will always be our ‘nearly managed Boro’. With that squad, having just come out of a European final, the profile of the club having never been higher, the academy players and a young manager getting his step to the England job, we have never - and probably will never be - in a position to attract a better manager, and I’m sure we got some incredible offers.
Little did we know at the time that the money had run out, but clubs have been in that position and pushed on to the real elite before. Real sliding doors moment.